Editorials -- Newcastle School needs to be saved
Over the last few years, Newcastle School has shown itself as one of the finest in the state.
Students at the school have repeatedly excelled in standardized testing. Whether third graders taking their first TAKS test or high school juniors testing for the final time, students going to school at Newcastle School have consistently been among the top performers in Texas.
Over the last three years, Newcastle School has received an exemplary rating from the Texas Education Association. The school has also received a commended performance rating from Title 1.
Neither accomplishment is easy. It takes dedicated teachers, students who are willing to work hard and parents who are deeply involved in their childrens’ education to become one of the best schools in the state.
There is no doubt Newcastle School is meeting its goal of providing a quality education to students.
But even with the great work being done in the classroom, the school’s future is in doubt.
Newcastle ISD Superintendent Gordon Grubbs explained two weeks ago that the school itself is literally falling apart. The building that was built in 1954 has withstood generations of students, but the way it was built may be its eventual downfall.
When the building was built, it was constructed on a floating slab with piers beneath the weight-bearing walls. Through the years, the piers and the foundation have simply worn out. The results can be seen in cracks on the walls and drywall falling off the inside walls. But the problem is also impacting the roof, the plumbing and more.
The bottom line, Grubbs says, is if something isn’t done, the building will eventually not be safe enough to hold classes.
“We ultimately know what the end road could be if we can’t figure out how to fix these problems because you can’t have school if you can’t have a building,” he says. “We’ve been able to maintain the safety and security of the building, but we’ve just patched up and patched up and patched up, and now the patches are needing to be addressed.”
To continue to offer classes and provide top-notch education, Newcastle ISD must find a way to repair the problems at the school — and the repair must be permanent.
Over the last few years, Newcastle ISD has hired a structural engineer to look at the school. What the engineer found was serious problems as the foundation moves up and down and destroys the building sitting on it.
The district has also had three architectural firms and three foundation companies take a look at the school. The companies agree the building can be saved, but doing so will not be inexpensive.
“All of their estimates are extremely high,” Grubbs says. “We are on such fragile ground. With the economy, the state funding, the lack of property value that exists in our district, we really are. We are on real fragile ground here.”
Grubbs says the only way he can find to repair the building and keep the district alive is to have voters approve a bond that will raise their property taxes. But Grubbs is hesitant to move in that direction without guidance from the people who are ultimately responsible for the district — the voters and taxpayers.
To get their input, Newcastle ISD is hosting public meetings. The first meeting was held last week, and the second is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at the Newcastle School auditorium.
“We want the community and taxpayers to come in and take a look at what we’re dealing with,” Grubbs says “They may have some suggestions that we haven’t considered, and we value their input.”
The thought of Newcastle without a school is one we can’t imagine, but it is a real possibility.
We encourage residents of Newcastle ISD to attend the meeting next week, take a look at the school and offer their input on what can and should be done.
Ultimately, they will decide the value of the school so it is only right that they be involved in the decision-making process early.
Over the last few years, Newcastle School has shown itself as one of the finest in the state.
Students at the school have repeatedly excelled in standardized testing. Whether third graders taking their first TAKS test or high school juniors testing for the final time, students going to school at Newcastle School have consistently been among the top performers in Texas.
Over the last three years, Newcastle School has received an exemplary rating from the Texas Education Association. The school has also received a commended performance rating from Title 1.
Neither accomplishment is easy. It takes dedicated teachers, students who are willing to work hard and parents who are deeply involved in their childrens’ education to become one of the best schools in the state.
There is no doubt Newcastle School is meeting its goal of providing a quality education to students.
But even with the great work being done in the classroom, the school’s future is in doubt.
Newcastle ISD Superintendent Gordon Grubbs explained two weeks ago that the school itself is literally falling apart. The building that was built in 1954 has withstood generations of students, but the way it was built may be its eventual downfall.
When the building was built, it was constructed on a floating slab with piers beneath the weight-bearing walls. Through the years, the piers and the foundation have simply worn out. The results can be seen in cracks on the walls and drywall falling off the inside walls. But the problem is also impacting the roof, the plumbing and more.
The bottom line, Grubbs says, is if something isn’t done, the building will eventually not be safe enough to hold classes.
“We ultimately know what the end road could be if we can’t figure out how to fix these problems because you can’t have school if you can’t have a building,” he says. “We’ve been able to maintain the safety and security of the building, but we’ve just patched up and patched up and patched up, and now the patches are needing to be addressed.”
To continue to offer classes and provide top-notch education, Newcastle ISD must find a way to repair the problems at the school — and the repair must be permanent.
Over the last few years, Newcastle ISD has hired a structural engineer to look at the school. What the engineer found was serious problems as the foundation moves up and down and destroys the building sitting on it.
The district has also had three architectural firms and three foundation companies take a look at the school. The companies agree the building can be saved, but doing so will not be inexpensive.
“All of their estimates are extremely high,” Grubbs says. “We are on such fragile ground. With the economy, the state funding, the lack of property value that exists in our district, we really are. We are on real fragile ground here.”
Grubbs says the only way he can find to repair the building and keep the district alive is to have voters approve a bond that will raise their property taxes. But Grubbs is hesitant to move in that direction without guidance from the people who are ultimately responsible for the district — the voters and taxpayers.
To get their input, Newcastle ISD is hosting public meetings. The first meeting was held last week, and the second is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at the Newcastle School auditorium.
“We want the community and taxpayers to come in and take a look at what we’re dealing with,” Grubbs says “They may have some suggestions that we haven’t considered, and we value their input.”
The thought of Newcastle without a school is one we can’t imagine, but it is a real possibility.
We encourage residents of Newcastle ISD to attend the meeting next week, take a look at the school and offer their input on what can and should be done.
Ultimately, they will decide the value of the school so it is only right that they be involved in the decision-making process early.